It's a crime of opportunity, because people tend to leave valuables in their vehicles, Jordan said.

In Walker County, most of the problems with car break-ins are in the Rossville and Flintstone communities, said Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson. Those cases normally come in clusters, with as many as 10 to 15 break-ins in one neighborhood, he said.

Then the problem will pop up in another area, he said.

"Most are going to be unlocked vehicles," Wilson said. "Most of the time if a car is locked they go on to the next one."

Burglaries were down for the last three years in Catoosa County, while Walker County saw a steady increase.

Walker County has seen a 16 percent rise in burglaries since 2008. There were 260 burglaries that year, 273 in 2009 and more than 300 last year. Wilson said the increase is consistent with that of previous years.

In Catoosa County, Jordan said residents are stepping up to participate in police- or sheriff's office-sponsored Neighborhood Watch programs, in which people volunteer to watch for and report signs of criminal activity.

"In the last six months [law enforcement officers] are doing one or so [meetings] a month," Jordan said.

Walker County has 37 Neighborhood Watch programs in place and four have been set up to begin training in August, said Sgt. Terry Hambrick. Sheriff's deputies will meet with residents three times before the neighborhood begins to participate.

After the meetings, a block leader is assigned to the area to watch the houses in their sight, he said.

"We've got one of the best programs around here," Hambrick said.

Across the region, assault charges were mixed.

Walker County had a slight decrease in aggravated assault cases, with 12 reported in 2010.

"We're very fortunate most of our crime is property crime not person-on-person crime," Wilson said.

But the number of reported assaults doubled in Catoosa County, from 28 in 2009 to 57 last year. Dade County had an increase in assaults from 63 in 2009 to 86 last year.

"Most of your simple violence has to do with spouse arguments," said Dade County Sheriff Patrick Cannon.